Congress dimension

Lanzarote Convention

Interview with Mr
Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human
Rights

24.01.12
Mr Hammarberg shares his experiences in promoting the
rights of children, explaning the shortcomings that
exist as children still remain unprotected from being
sexually abused. He points out that “The problem is even
wider because many of the abuses take place in the
families themselves and there we have a tendency of
taboo, people don’t want to talk about it..(..) There is
a need to ensure that personnel who see signs of sexual
abuse, like teachers, health personnel, social workers
and the police, that they report on what they have seen
so that there is a possibility to protect individual
children.” He also emphasises that the Network of
Contact Parliamentarians could have a major role in
lobbying for the ratification of the Lanzarote
Convention, and he explains the importance of educating
children, so that they are aware of the risks and
dangers they might encounter.